Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-02-22
INCENDIARY FIRE.
ATTEMPT TO BURN ALARGE STORE IN
PORTSMOUTH.
Stock Damaged Norfolk Eews-stole q
sloop-Fsll Dsad-Politioal and
Railroad Notes.

Correspondence Of the Richmond Dispa.ch.l
NORFOLK, Feb. q. 1887.
An incendiary attempt was made
early yesterday morning to destroy the
large store and tinware establishment
of Messrs. Powell & Alexander, on
Market Square, Portsmouth. Some
one broke open the glasswork of
door in the rear and fred lot of straw
used for packing goods. The building
was saved by tho fire department, but
the stock was considerably damaged by
water. All the property was fully in
sured
This morning a white man named
Lewis Williams was tried before Mayor
Baird, in Portsmouth, and sent on to
court for trial for stealing the oyster
sloop Julian Pace from the dock in
Portsmouth. Williams was going
down the harbor with the sloop before
day yesterday morning, when detach-
ment of police went in pursuit and
captured him off the Naval Hospital.
A negro man named George Brown
was found dead in the street by the po-
lice in the Fourth Ward yesterday.
His death is supposed to have resulted
from natural causes.
Tomorrow being national holiday,
the navy-yard will be closed and the
custom house, exchanges. banks, etc,
will suspend operations. The military
of both cities will have joint parade,
balls will take place at night, and alto
gether "the glorious Twenty-Second
will be appropriately honored in this
section of Virginia.
General Thomas Ewing, President b.
d. Tillar, Captain r. G. Marshall, and
other gentlemen went up to Southsmp-
ton county last night to speak at Jeru-
salem to-day and urge the Southamp-
ton people to subscribe $50, 900 to the
Atlantic and Danville railroad.
The wrecking-steamer Victoria Peed
and the ocean tug Sampson again left
for Cape Hatteras yesterday to search
for the wreck of the brig Garnet, so
often reported drifting about the
coast.
The colored Republicans of the
county held their meeting on Saturday,
and adopted resolutions endorsing the
efforts OF colored men to secure two
places on the ticket for county offices
sat the May election and warning the
white leaders "who are seeking to over
throw the will of the people by corrupt
means that should their schemes sue
coed in the nominating convention,
they cannot expect the support OF the
self.respecting and intelligent white
voters of Norfolk county"
Letters received here from North
Carolina state that the trucking season
is twenty days ahead of last year. Peas
are six inches high, potatoes up, cab
bage will be cut and shipped in March,
and beets and other early vegetables
are well advanced.
Rev. Job Turner, the deaf mute, de-
livered a sermon to mutes at Trinity
church, Portsmouth, last night.
Rev. L. G. Burr, of this city, assistant
rector of Christ church, has accepted a
call to the rectorship of the new Epis-
copal church just organized in Berkeley,
Norfolk county.
At Great Bridge this morning three
men employed on the canal had their
boat capsized by the suction of a steam
er passing through the canal. One Of
the men, Samuel Hodges, living in the
neighborhood, was drowned. 1t is sup
posed that he received blow from tho
propeller of the steamer.
All the workmen in the thirteen
shops of the construction department
at the navy-yard were discharged to-
night for want of funds. This sus-
ponds work on the repairs to the flag
ship Trenton.
The large British steamship Albany is
moored at the wharyes of the Norfolk
Southern railroad, loading with corn
from Eastern North Carolina for Europe.